My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

3/10

Starring

Nia Vardalos

John Corbett

Lainie Kazan

Michael Constantine

Directed by Kirk Jones

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a film set apart from all other films, it was simple and funny. Let’s not forget new and Greek, the movie pulled all the stops and I had to see it more than once to be fully satisfied I had gotten a taste of the Greek life. Not only was the movie a critical success it was a huge commercial success gaining over $360 million on a $5 million budget.

But, when I heard of a part 2 being released fourteen years after the first I didn’t expect much because when watching the first I was not expectant and I was rocked with joy. But this time I didn’t feel the same kind of rocking. The movie was all too familiar leading to no form of excitement and the humor was no longer present as the writers pulled many ideas from too many familiar shows and movies that while watching you are left with a feeling of nostalgia not for the first movie but for other movies.

Then the writing too need more work, the movie starts with a broken relationship between mother and daughter that got sorted out somewhere between Toula’s father’s back going out and their neighbors making fun of Toula’s family. I guess I must have missed it because the new focus on the movie was now the marriage between Toula’s parents.

The movie plot starts by revealing that the Portakalos family were facing hardship as some of their businesses had closed down due to the recession except the restaurant which was still open for business.

Toula’s (Nia Vardalos) daughter Paris is acting like Toula was in the first movie where she felt chocked by her family and would do anything to be excluded. With an all too familiar tone of Toula’s father trying to prove everything has a Greek origin, the movie focus changed to an up-coming wedding between Toula’s parents.

For me the movie had no direction and went with a flow that wasn’t flowing.

In the end the movie made me feel like I was watching a big rip-off of the first movie with no aim to entertain, but hoping to make money from the viewers who found the first movie entertaining.

Whether this movie will be profitable is left to discover, but the movie will not be a runaway hit like the 2002 first part, but I see it making enough money to break even. Although I doubt if the movie will make enough money to make the producers consider a part 3, as a tv show on this story also failed.